President Barack Obama sent his final budget request to Capitol Hill today, but the more than $4 trillion blueprint was unsurprisingly met with little more than a shrug by Georgia delegation Republicans.
The White House’s wish list for the budget year that begins on Oct. 1 offers a progressive vision for where the country should head in the next decade. It proposes doubling funding for clean energy research, expanding paid leave and offering universal preschool. It would also bolster Medicaid, cut tax benefits for high-income households and levy a new $10 fee per barrel of oil on petroleum companies.
Georgia Republicans were subsequently not shy in expressing their displeasure.
Tom Price, R-Roswell, who will get Congress’ first chance to respond as chairman of the House Budget Committee, had this to say:
"Like every one of his previous budgets, President Obama's newest plan never balances. Ever. Like all of his previous proposals, it increases spending by trillions of dollars above what we already cannot afford and takes more money out of the pockets of hardworking taxpayers with no plan to address the key drivers of our debt."
Sen. David Perdue, a member of the Senate Budget Committee, was a little more blunt:
"The only positive thing about this budget request is that it's the last one we will receive from President Obama."
Coweta County GOP Rep. Lynn Westmoreland offered a similar sentiment to Perdue:
"It has been 7 years of bad budgeting, and the people are sick of it. I am hopeful that with new, Republican leadership in the White House in 2017 that we can finally fix the financial mess this President has put us in."
We have yet to see react from Georgia Democrats but will update when we do.
A summary Obama's request can be found here. You can also check out our preview of the budget here.
Details about the president’s proposals for different federal agencies, including the Pentagon and the Army Corps of Engineers, will be released throughout the afternoon. We’ll post updates as we get them.
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